Snow Patrol
Greek Theater
Sunday, July 22nd

The woodsy setting and summer nights at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles seems to bring out the best in bands, and Snow Patrol rose above and beyond during Sunday’s (July 22nd) first of two dates at the venue.

Each time out, the Irish band’s performances have grown, and this show balanced the group’s knack for songcraft with passionate yet unpretentious follow-thru.

Scruffy-bearded, lanky, singer-guitarist Gary Lightbody offered flashes of Irish wit in quips, including a running bit about a dead then alive again bug, on the setlist by his feet (shown on the video screen at each side of the stage).

The band started out strong with its more bracing rockers, including the driving “Hands Open.” Then the lads settled in for a diverse lot of the mid-tempo songs and ballads that’ve made them a breakout success in the past year, thanks greatly to “Chasing Cars,” first featured prominently on TV’s “Gray’s Anatomy” and one of its CD soundtracks. And that heart-on-the-sleeve confessional was just one of many winning numbers that have won over an older crowd–where the group drew college-agers several years ago in clubs, its audience now reaches into their 30s and 40s. It’s adult rock, but it doesn’t fall prey to trends or formula.

Uncertainty and questions of a confused heart color many of the songs–tension followed by emotional release–from the jaggedly ethereal “Shut Your Eyes” to the anthem “Run,” contrasted by the soaring and hopeful “Open Your Eyes” and “You’re All I Have.” The group also pulled out its “Spider-Man 3″ soundtrack song, “Signal Fire.”

The centerpiece was still, as in previous shows this year, the edgy, claustrophobic-then-cathartic “Set the Fire to the Third Bar.” With a harrowing duet from the “Eyes Open” album with Martha Wainwright, this night (and Monday too) Lightbody was joined by twins Chandra and Leigh Watson on vocals. Equally compelling was the stark “Make This Go On Forever.”

From the often pinging and ringing lead guitars of Nathan Connolly, there’s definitely a U2-inspired sonic atmosphere working at times, but Snow Patrol is finding its own way, soul-searching with songs made to last.

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